In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
ERGOTISM
ergotism
(noun) poisoning by ingestion of ergot-infected grain products; characterized by thirst and diarrhea and nausea and cramping and vomiting and abnormal cardiac rhythms; in severe cases it can cause seizures and gangrene of the limbs
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Noun
ergotism (countable and uncountable, plural ergotisms)
The effect of long-term ergot poisoning, traditionally due to the ingestion of the alkaloids produced by the Claviceps purpurea fungus which infects rye and other cereals, and more recently by the action of a number of ergoline-based drugs.
Synonyms
• ergotoxicosis
• Saint Anthony's fire
Etymology 2
Noun
ergotism (plural ergotisms)
A logical deduction.
Anagrams
• gritsome
Source: Wiktionary
Er"go*tism, n. Etym: [F. ergotisme, fr. L. ergo.]
Definition: A logical deduction. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
Er"got*ism, n. Etym: [From Ergot, n.; cf. F. ergotisme.] (Med.)
Definition: A diseased condition produced by eating rye affected with the ergot fungus.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
30 April 2024
NURSE
(verb) treat carefully; “He nursed his injured back by lying in bed several hours every afternoon”; “He nursed the flowers in his garden and fertilized them regularly”
Coffee Trivia
